A search operation led by the NDRF is currently underway in Gujarat's Morbi district to locate seven individuals who were swept away along with their tractor-trolley while attempting to cross a flooded causeway on a river amidst heavy rains, an official reported on Monday. In an overnight rescue effort near Dhavana village, ten of the seventeen people on board the tractor-trolley were successfully saved.
"The tractor-trolley carrying 17 persons swept away when it was passing through a causeway (over a river) near Dhavana village in Halvad taluka of Morbi district at around 9 pm on Sunday. Ten persons were rescued while seven others are missing," said Morbi fire officer Devendrasinh Jadeja.
Personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are actively conducting a search operation, according to the official. In the past 24 hours leading up to 6 AM on Monday, Gujarat experienced heavy to very heavy rainfall, prompting authorities to relocate hundreds of residents to safety. Low-lying areas in Navsari and Valsad districts have been inundated due to rising water levels in monsoon rivers.
At 356 mm, Khergam taluka in Navsari district recorded the highest rainfall in the last 24 hours ending 6 AM on Monday, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) data showed. During this period, Dang-Ahwa taluka of the Dangs district received 268 mm of rainfall and Kaprada (Valsad district) 263 mm.
Other districts, including Narmada, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Tapi, Mahisagar, Morbi, Dahod, and Vadodara, recorded over 100 mm of rainfall. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel held phone discussions late Sunday with collectors from Morbi, Kutch, Rajkot, Surendranagar, and Bhavnagar in the Saurashtra region, as well as Bharuch and Dang in south Gujarat, to assess the situation.